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By Root 200 0

began to swim up to it and around it. At last they grew so bold that they leaped upon it and treated it with the greatest contempt. Dissatisfied with such a tame ruler they immediately petitioned Jupiter a second time to grant them a more active king. This time he sent them a stork, and no sooner did the bird arrive than he began seizing and devouring them one by one as fast as he could. Devastated by their new king, the frogs now sent Mercury with a private message to Jupiter, beseeching him to take pity on them once more. But Jupiter replied that they were being justly punished for their folly and that maybe next time they would learn to let well enough alone.

When you desire to change your condition, make sure that you can really improve it.

CXXVI

The Lion and the Goat

One summer’s day, when everyone was suffering from extreme heat, a lion and a goat came to a small fountain at the same time to quench their thirst. They began right away to quarrel as to which one was entitled to drink the water first, and it seemed that each one would resist the other even to the point of death. However, as they rested for a moment during their argument to recover their breath, they noticed a flock of vultures hovering over them and waiting to pounce on the loser. Consequently, they immediately settled the quarrel and agreed that it was far better for them to become friends than to furnish food for the crows and vultures.

CXXVII

The Mice in Council

Once upon a time the mice were so distressed by the way a particular cat was persecuting them that they called a meeting to decide upon the best way to get rid of this perpetual annoyance. Many plans were discussed and rejected. At last a young mouse got up and proposed that a bell should be hung around the cat’s neck so that they might always know in advance when she would be coming and thus be able to escape her. This proposal was greeted with great applause and approved immediately by everyone at the meeting. Thereafter, an old mouse, who had sat in silence during the entire proceedings, got up and said that he considered the entire plan ingenious and that it would undoubtedly be quite successful. But he still had one short question to put to the other mice: which one of them was to put the bell around the cat’s neck?

It is one thing to conceive of a good plan and another to execute it.

CXXVIII

The Fox and the Mask

A fox had stolen into the house of an actor, and as he was rummaging among the various possessions, he came upon a remarkable mask that was a fine imitation of a human head.

“What a fine looking head!” he cried. “Pity that it lacks brains!”

Handsome looks are of little worth without sense.

CXXIX

The Thirsty Pigeon

A pigeon was desperate with thirst, and when she saw a glass of water painted on a sign, she thought it was real. So she swept down upon it with all her might and crashed into the board, breaking her wing. As a result, she fell helpless to the ground where she was quickly captured by a bystander.

Zeal should not outrun discretion, even when we are desperate.

CXXX

The Farmer and the Cranes

Some cranes settled down in a farmer’s field that had recently been sown with wheat and made it their feeding grounds. For some time the farmer frightened them away by threatening them with an empty sling. But when the cranes discovered that he was only slinging air, they were no longer afraid of him and would not fly away. Consequently, the farmer slung stones and killed a good number of the birds. In response the rest of the cranes took off and cried out to each other, “It’s time for us to be off. This man isn’t just threatening us any longer. He’s really serious about getting rid of us.”

If words do not suffice, blows must follow.

CXXXI

The Falconer and the Partridge

A falconer caught a partridge in his net, and the bird cried out in sorrow, “Let me go, good falconer, and I promise you that I will serve you as a decoy and attract other partridges into your net.”

“No,” the man said. “I might have done something